The Bangkok immersion with Park Seo Joon and Han So Hee to end 2023

Bridging the gap from actual events to the projects a production outfit is promoting has intensified this year.

Netflix initiated the trend, highlighting how important it is to immerse storytellers and make them feel as if they are part of a series or a film. This approach has become the gold standard for announcing to everyone that a certain show is coming soon. The mix of journalists, content creators and mega celebrities being sent to a certain global event is crucial on how the posts would be about the project.

Let’s revisit the last one which yours truly was a part of. That was the Park Seo Joon and Han So Hee hit Gyeongseong Creature. The event happened in Bangkok, Thailand as we were billeted in a hotel with the same retro ‘40s feel like that of the show.

There were celebrities sent to the event, including Maja Salvador, husband Rambo Nuñez, Sofia Pablo and Allen Ansay from the Philippines.

Korean content creator Gia Allana was also there to cover the niche audience the Korean entertainment genre has. Everyone brought their A-game with the outfits that matched the massive set-up Netflix put up in Bangkok with a series of activities that immersed us in what the period of the ‘40s was like. We even did sketching and the Korean traditional Minhwa painting sessions.

It was magical and unique. En route to my interviews with Park Seo Joon and Han So Hee, we even sailed via the classic Bangkok boats. We were greeted by a beautiful Gyeongseong Creature set and the two stars in their element.

We talked about their undeniable chemistry on screen and this was what So Hee shared: “First of all, Seo Joon concentrated really well and he had way more experience than me. Not that it was important, but when I was on the set, I had to make a lot of effort to concentrate. After I saw him on the set, I absorbed that ability as time went by.”

“He naturally gave me the strength to understand more about the character and the situation when I was on the set. He helped me a lot in staying focused. I think that’s it. He helped me a lot in building Chae-ok’s character,” she added.

Seo Joon, for his part, said, “Personally, I was just acting as if I was concentrating. I think I felt anxious. That’s why I also relied on her a lot. For this drama, it is something that we have to work together really well until the end. That’s why I needed to rely on her. Also, I was trying my best to help her as much as I could, too.”

During the fan event, Seo Joon made the crowd of more than 2,000 go wild as he bantered and agreed on how pretty So Hee is. In their toast, Seo Joon even tasted So Hee’s mixed cocktail which was pretty cute to see. They knew their assignments and were so good at endearing the crowd.

Going back to the series, we also got to talk to the creators of Gyeongseong Creature. We discussed how they built the set and what they first focused on to produce such a flawless setting.

Director Jang Dong-yoon shared, “Because the scale is so big, we had to plan everything beforehand. Therefore, it’s crucial for us to decide and focus on the location that we need to build as a priority.

“The first thing we had to build was the outdoor set for Bonjeong District because it was such an important part of the series. Another important set for us was the basement floor at Ongseong Hospital.

“Since we needed to film smoothly, it’s important to the story. So, we built these sets first and checked them throughout, then began filming around these two locations first.”

Regarding the creature, writer Kang Eun Kyung said, “When we first thought about how we were going to build creatures that played along well with the era, set as the background in the series, I didn’t want to go with just the ordinary one. The reason is because there are already so many creature-related stories in the market. That’s why we have to think about how we can include our creature in the story.

“Then, I started my research on history and looked for materials. I learned that there could be an experiment on living creatures and found out there were those issues. The next step was to see where we could include our creatures into the stories. Then, the idea of maternal instinct came to me. I also wanted to know what would be scarier between a creature with maternal instinct and a creature developed from humans. I ended up confronting both of these characteristics, and then, it became my creature in the series,” Eun Kyung concluded.

(Stream part two of Gyeongseong Creature starting Jan. 5 on Netflix.)